LKL's rating: 0 stars
After receiving numerous reports that Linguality is not sending books and that customers are unable to contact anyone in the company by email or phone, I have changed my rating to zero stars to indicate that this company is untrustworthy and that you do business with them at your own risk. I have also removed my link to their website.
When I first wrote about Linguality in 2007, my review was based on the books I was sent. I was never actually a subscriber, so my original rating was for the books themselves.
After receiving numerous reports that Linguality is not sending books and that customers are unable to contact anyone in the company by email or phone, I have changed my rating to zero stars to indicate that this company is untrustworthy and that you do business with them at your own risk. I have also removed my link to their website.
When I first wrote about Linguality in 2007, my review was based on the books I was sent. I was never actually a subscriber, so my original rating was for the books themselves.
Original Review
Linguality was launched in 2007 as a book club for French learners. Every other month, contemporary French books are republished with an English introduction, extensive English glossaries, and a French audio interview with the author.
The Linguality book club publishes six books a year. Each one is a contemporary work of fiction or non-fiction that Linguality has republished with annotations. An interview with the author is included on an audio CD (around 40 minutes). Subscribers are automatically sent each book as it is published, every other month. These specially republished books are not available for individual purchase - you have to subscribe to Linguality to receive them (though of course you can cancel your subscription if you find that the book club doesn't work for you).
The Linguality book club publishes six books a year. Each one is a contemporary work of fiction or non-fiction that Linguality has republished with annotations. An interview with the author is included on an audio CD (around 40 minutes). Subscribers are automatically sent each book as it is published, every other month. These specially republished books are not available for individual purchase - you have to subscribe to Linguality to receive them (though of course you can cancel your subscription if you find that the book club doesn't work for you).
Linguality Book Formatting
The Linguality books are published with a "simultaneous" list of vocabulary. That is, the unabridged French text is on the right-hand (odd-numbered) pages, with potentially difficult words and concepts in bold. On the left-hand (even) pages, the 30 to 40 bolded words and phrases from the facing page are listed in the same order with translations and explanations. These are not bilingual books, just annotated ones, so they are not suitable for beginners. If you have at least two years of French study, you should be able to read the books without needing to look up anything beyond what's included in the glossary.
Linguality Books
Portraits de Pechkoff (non-fiction): Zinovi Pechkoff was a Russian-born member of the French Foreign Legion whose incredible life as a war hero and emissary is largely unknown. This biography, written by Pechkoff's protégé and admirer, French ambassador Francis Huré, won the Prix Combourg and the Grand Prix Jules Verne.
Le Resquilleur du Louvre, by Bernard Chenez, makes a home for himself - both physical and spiritual - in the most famous museum in the world. As he wanders through the galleries, he comments on the priceless works of art, eventually finding a nook where he can rest and watch the world go by. The book is written in informal French and stream-of-consciousness, and footnotes provides notes on art and architecture. The resquilleur offers a fascinating look at the Louvre from a unique point of view.
Chemins de fer, by Benoît Duteurtre, is story of a woman d'un certain âge who splits her time between city and country. Though she expects and appreciates modernity in Paris, she is appalled by how "civilization" inexorably encroaches on her home in a remote French village. While the villagers rejoice at street lights and other improvements (and the extra money to be made from truck drivers and tourists), the Parisian complains about no longer seeing the stars or relaxing on her own porch. More significantly, she rails against the decline in the train service - trains get smaller and more crowded, dirtier and less convenient, and no one else cares. It seems like a hopeless battle, but she tackles it head on.
Le Resquilleur du Louvre, by Bernard Chenez, makes a home for himself - both physical and spiritual - in the most famous museum in the world. As he wanders through the galleries, he comments on the priceless works of art, eventually finding a nook where he can rest and watch the world go by. The book is written in informal French and stream-of-consciousness, and footnotes provides notes on art and architecture. The resquilleur offers a fascinating look at the Louvre from a unique point of view.
Chemins de fer, by Benoît Duteurtre, is story of a woman d'un certain âge who splits her time between city and country. Though she expects and appreciates modernity in Paris, she is appalled by how "civilization" inexorably encroaches on her home in a remote French village. While the villagers rejoice at street lights and other improvements (and the extra money to be made from truck drivers and tourists), the Parisian complains about no longer seeing the stars or relaxing on her own porch. More significantly, she rails against the decline in the train service - trains get smaller and more crowded, dirtier and less convenient, and no one else cares. It seems like a hopeless battle, but she tackles it head on.
About Linguality
Linguality was founded by Wes and Diane Green, former publishers of Champs-Élysées audiomagazine, and Gerald Honigsblum, director of Boston University's study abroad program in Paris.
Disclosure: Review copies were provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
